This invention relates generally to turbine blade resurfacing machines, and more particularly to machines adapted to impart a particular predetermined finish contour to air seal portions of a turbine blade.
Generally, turbine blades are constituted of high-temperature, high-strength alloy especially adapted to withstand the temperatures and stresses imposed on the parts of a turbine assembly. In the past, repair of such turbine blades has been sufficiently complex and expensive as to make it impractical to undertake such operations on a large scale. Instead, when the blades have become worn, they were discarded, with new blades substituted in their place. Due to the fact that such blades are cast, they tended to be very expensive, and the replacement of entire units has resulted in a costly operation.
Part of the problem with resurfacing blades was that the tolerances involved tended to be rather critical. In addition, it was extremely difficult to closely duplicate the original surfaces on a worn piece. In some instances, welded material was applied to the worn area, after which the bulk or excess was removed by grinding or polishing. In such operations, duplication of the original surfaces has been found to be extremely difficult to achieve.